5 high-upside wide receivers to target in dynasty leagues

Fantasy football is all about finding value. And sometimes, it can be found not only for today, but instead, for tomorrow. For dynasty leaguers, identifying players that can contribute in the future is a must.

If you are in rebuilding mode, or if you are looking for some lottery tickets that may break out in the last few weeks of the year or next season, here are five wide receivers you may consider acquiring while you can.

Denzel Mims, New Jork Jets

With ideal size and a phenomenal athletic profile, Mims has been the Jets’ most consistent receiver ever since he took the field in Week 7. In every game, he has been able to get at least 42 receiving yards. That should be the equivalent of a 100-yard game given his disastrous organization!

In Week 11, Mims led the NFL in air yards, with 242—39 more than the second-ranked Chase Claypool—and in Week 12, he tied his season-high with eight targets. We have reasons to believe that the Jets won’t be this bad in 2021. There is more than enough evidence that the team needs a change in head coaching, and they should have a shot at Trevor Lawrence or another top-ranked quarterback in the Draft.

Even if the Jets stick with Sam Darnold, Mims has done enough to warrant your attention in Dynasty leagues. You are running out of time to get him on the cheap before the stink of the Jets wears off.

Darius Slayton, New York Giants

Quietly, Darius Slayton has been one of the Giants’ most consistent pass-catching weapons in the last two seasons even as the team transitioned to new franchise quarterback Daniel Jones.

The 23-year-old wideout has 86 catches, 1,324 receiving yards with a 15.4 YPC average, four 100-yard receiving games, and 11 touchdowns in his first two seasons (a total of 25 games). And given his age and the fact that Jones seems to be making strides this season, Slayton’s future could be bright.

While he didn’t have a good game against the Bengals in Week 12 and has to compete with Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram for targets, he is very talented and his future prospects are good. Act now, and get him at a low price.

Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts

While Pittman only caught two balls for 28 yards against the Titans this past weekend, but he led the Colts in targets with nine. Keep that in mind for the future, as he is a talented pass catcher that should have a big role in the Colts’ offense for years to come, making him an enticing Dynasty target.

Pittman, a second-round rookie, showed what he is capable of in Week 10, when he caught 7-of-8 targets for 101 yards.

He has 27 targets over the last four games, a little under seven per contest. His catch-and-run ability and that workload give him a reasonable floor and a high ceiling in Dynasty formats.

Jalen Reagor, Philadelphia Eagles

If you are looking for an extremely cheap receiver for your Dynasty league, you probably won’t find a better value than Jalen Reagor. If you watched the Eagles in the last few weeks, you know that their offense is literally painful. It just hurts to watch them play football and try to move the ball downfield.

Part of it is because the offensive line is extremely decimated by injuries to their best linemen, Lane Johnson, Brandon Brooks, and Andre Dillard. The lack of separation by the wide receivers also hurts the team, but Carson Wentz’ play and play calling are also serious problems.

Philly will likely have a high draft pick next season. One wonders if they will use it on an elite quarterback prospect (possible, but unlikely since they spent a high selection on signal caller Jalen Hurts in 2020) or a good lineman to help protect Wentz or whoever is under center.

Wentz’s play has been awful this year, missing reads and throws like never before, and holding onto the ball far too long. I used to think the line injuries and the lack of separation from his receivers were hurting his play, but a case can be made that it is the other way around as far as WRs go. It’s hard to see him being this bad next year, or the Eagles sticking with him if that’s the case.

Johnson, Dillard, and Brooks (and Isaac Seumalo, another good lineman) should be back next season, and Reagor will have one year of experience under his belt. He is speedy and talented, and has shown flashes in 2020. The landscape could be a lot more encouraging next season.

Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

Aiyuk being in this list may seem kind of obvious to some, but the fact is that he had only 165 receiving yards in his first five games. In his last three, though, he has an impressive 281 with a couple of scores.

The 49ers quarterback situation may not be the best, but you have to bet on talent. Always. And Aiyuk has loads of it. So, if your league mates consider that as long as Deebo Samuel is healthy, Aiyuk isn’t so valuable, take advantage of the situation and try to acquire him.

With 31 targets and 21 receptions over those last three contests, Aiyuk seems to be cementing his status as one of the top up-and-coming starts in fantasy football. His dynasty value is going up in a hurry.